I'm looking for any tips on shooting a group of 6 adults and 4 small children outside in the snow. The background the family wants is mostly woods. There is supposed to be quite a bit of snow. I'm planning on using a ladder -if possible because of the number of people. My concern is losing highlights...

I am researching how to do (lighting mostly) and what to charge for Galmour shots. I have Alien bees lighting, 2-400, & 1-800 lights. 20D camera. What lens do you tend to use for this? Any suggestionsn or pointers much appreciated. A